Applying protective covers to shoes



July 12, 1955 Filed Sept. 50, 1950 H. C. PAULSEN APPLYING PROTECTIVE COVERS TO SHOES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 12, 1955 H. c. PAULSEN APPLYING PROTECTIVE COVERS TO SHOES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 30, 1950 y 1955 H. c. PAULSEN 2,712,659

APPLYING PROTECTIVE COVERS TO SHOES Filed Sept. 30, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 {9 L Zzvenfor: 90 74 50 if flay/75 C Pau/Sen y 1955 H. c. PAULSEN APPLYING PROTECTIVE COVERS TO SHOES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 50, 1950 iii! .1- 517.71 1

United States Patent G APPLYING PRGTECTIVE COVERS T0 SHOES Hans C. Partisan, iedford, Mlass, assiguor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 3%, 1950, Serial No. 187,784

31 Claims. (Cl. 12-4) This invention relates to applying temporary protec- 've covers to shoes and more particularly both to a method of applying a cover of sheet material to a shoe upper progressively around the periphery of a lasted shoe and to a machine for implementing the method.

in the manufacture of shoes, and especially those having light colored uppers, the use of shoe covers temporarily applied to the uppers to protect them from soiling or staining in the course of manufacture is already known. It is desired that the cover shall be applied in such a way that it will protect the shoe during the various shocmaking operations such as roughing the overiasted margin of the upper, attaching the sole, laying and leveling the sole, and during various trimming and finishing operations upon the periphery of the sole.

it has already been proposed to use for the cover material a thin, flexible, noniibrous film or sheet such as a base sheet of cyclized rubber commonly known as Pliofilm provided with a coating which is not pressure sensitive but which may be caused to adhere lightly to the shoe part to be covered, as by the application of pressure and heat. This type of cover is readily held in firm engagement with the shoe upper for a period such as may be necessary to complete the shoe, after which the cover and the adhesive may be easily stripped or peeled from the shoe. Difiiculty has been experienced, however, in applying such covers to lasted shoes because of the large variety of shapes and sizes thereof and the need for having the trimmed edge in exactly the desired position near the feather line of the shoe. Usually the shoe covers are fitted. being shaped in general like the vamp of a shoe with the margins thereof at the rear end of the blank joined to provide a pocket for receiving the heel portion of the shoe upper on a last, a cone of the last projecting through an opening at the top of the blank.

Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide an improved method of applying such a cover. in one aspect, the method contemplates the progressive attachment of the margin of the cover to the shoe adjacent to the feather line as successive increments of the margin of the cover are drawn over the bottom of the shoe. From another aspect the method includes the progressive weakening of the marginal portion of the cover along a path close to the feather line of the shoe to facilitate removal of surplus cover material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine for implementing the method. A feature of the invention resides in a machine having one or more shoe-bottomengaging tools which coact with a presser applied progressively to the shoe cover along the periphery of the shoe.

Other features of the invention reside in the construction and arrangement of various tools such as a bottom guide to determine the position of the shoe with respect to the applying tool, a feed roll assisting the operator in moving the shoe progressively past the applying tool, an indenting tool riding along the shoe cover to crease it so that the surplus margin may readily be removed, and a wiper to assist in drawing the cover over the margin of the bottom of the shoe with the body of the cover pressed closely against the side of the shoe.

Still another feature of the invention resides in an operator-controlled mechanism for varying the reiation of such tools as the feed roll and the Wiper with respect to the applying tool when shank portions of the shoe are to be treated.

A further feature of the invention resides in a mounting for the wiper which permits the latter to be springpressed against the work and which maintains constant pressure as the position of the wiper is varied with respect to the shoe.

'5 he applying member itself, for best results, requires a construction in which it shall have a flexible periphery so that it may adapt itself to the changing contour of the work and a construction enabling the ready transfer of heat through the tool to the Work. Another feature of the invention resides in an improved construction of such an applying roll in which its periphery is made up of a series of annular members supported for relative shifting movement and having the inner periphery of the members resting on a resilient ring. In the illustrated construction these members are held between metal flanges on the hub of the roll and heat may readily be transferred thereto from the roll support.

These and other aspects and features of the invention will best be understood from a consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the machine taken from the ingoing side;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the working tools taken from the opposite side;

Fig. 3 is a detailed view in elevation of the wiper wh el supporting and driving mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the whole machine but with the feed wheel removed and the wiper broken away and in section;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, taken on the line VV in Fig. 2, looking down at the indenting tool or knife and its support;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view on a small scale of the treadle mechanism;

Fig. 7 shows a fitted cover ready for use in the machine;

Fig. 8 shows a lasted shoe to which the cover has been applied with a portion of the marginal surplus torn away from the bottom of the shoe;

Fig. 9 is a section on an enlarged scale through the operating tools when applied to the heel portion of the shoe; and

Fig. 10 is a similar section but taken at the inside shank portion of the shoe and with some of the tools displaced by depression of the treadle.

There is shown in Pig. 7 a fitted cover of a type adapted for application by this machine and this will be seen to have been cut in the general form of a full vamp leaving an opening 12 and having the ends of the original piece joined at 1 by the application of heat and pressure. Tabs 15, one at each side of the cover, but displaced laterally from one another, may be grasped by the operator to open the cover, which may have been stuck together slightly by stacking, so as to slip it over the top of it lasted shoe S having an upper U and insole l, with the cone of the last projecting through the opening in the cover.

The shoe is then inverted and the margin of the cover is gathered over the toe portion of the shoe. The operator then grasps the ends of the shoe, holding the folds at the toe with one hand, and presents the side of the shoe toa presser member 16 to attach the cover along a shoe margin indicated by the marks 17 (Fig. 8). With a right shoe, the point at which the operation is started is preferably at the outside of the heel portion of the shoe. With a leftshoe, especially if it is one designed for a high heel, the start is usually made at the inside of the ball line. Progressing from these starting points the periphery of the shoe is traversed holding the lowermost margin of the upper adjacent to the feather line against the presser member and holding the bottom of the shoe up in engagement with a guide roll 18 which, in the preferred form of the machine, is driven so that it also serves as a feed roll.

Located between these two tools 16 and 18 is an indenting tool 20 which is yieldably mounted so that it rides on the cover within the margin of the bottom of the shoe near the point of attachment and approximately at the feather line 21 of the shoe. Although this may be called a drag knife, it does not have a sharp edge which might cut the shoe upper but, being heated, as will later appear, it serves to crease or indent the cover so that the undesired surplus margin 22 (Fig. 8) may readily be torn away after the applying process has been completed. It will be understood that heat is applied to the cover, here by the presser 16, so that it activates the cement on the cover and causes it to adhere lightly to the upper while at the same time the cover may, when the need for it has disappeared, be quickly removed from the shoe without leaving any trace of the cement by which it was attached.

Associated with the three tools previously mentioned is a wiper roll 24 which draws the surplus margin of the 'cover over on the bottom face of the overlasted upper and readies it for the work of the tools previously described. The friction of this roll is sufficient to take out any marked looseness in the cover but is not enough to tension the cover over the top of the last as would a lasting tool. The operating tools previously mentioned are mounted upon a frame comprising a base upon which there are end plates and 32 (Fig. 1) joined by a web 34 (Fig. 4). The presser roll or applying tool 16 is mounted on a shaft 36 which is journaled in a bracket 38 insulated from the end plate 30 by a block 49 of heat insulating material. The bracket is attached to the block and the latter is held on the end plate 30 by screws. The bearing for the shaft 36 is completed by a removable cap 42.

The presser member itself is made up of a bottom flange 44 and a hub'46 which are integral with the shaft 36. Around this hub is a resilient ring 48 (Figs. 9 and 10), of

a flexible rubber unaffected by heat, which serves as a support for a series of thin annular rings 50 lying in contact with one another and adapted to slide with respect to'each other to permit the peripheries of the rings to adapt themselves to the contour of the surface of the shoe. At the top of the tool is a ring 52 which is supported directly upon the hub 46 so that there is no displacement of this ring by the pressure of the work. Accordingly, the spacing between the edge of the heated band and the indenting tool 20 is substantially constant and is kept as narrow as possible so that there will be no loose inside margin which might be scufied up later, when working on the shoe.

The rings 50 of the presser roll are all retained in position by means of a top flange 54 held in place on the hub by means of a screw 56 (Fig. 1) made integral with the flange 54. Heat is supplied to this presser member by electric heating units 58 through leads to a junction box 69 which is supplied from a switch box 62 under the control of the'operator. This presser member is driven, as will be later described, through a slip clutch so that if it is necessary for the operator to stop the work at a particular point the presser roll will also remain still and not scuff the cover. 7

Inasmuch as the operator must, for best results, press 4 the shoe against the whole width of the face of the presser roll 16, the machine is provided with a combined guide and feed roll 18 operative independently of said presser roll and which is shaped as a frusto-conical disk having a notched periphery. By referring to the sections through the shoe in Figs. 9 and 10 it will be seen that there is a marked difierence, at different points along the shoe, in the angular relation of the bottom of the shoe to a line across the periphery of the presser roll, as, for example, between the end portions of the shoe and the shank portion. In the latter portion, these two are almost in line whereas in the former they form an obtuse angle approaching a right angle at some points along the shoe. This renders it desirable to support the guide roll for independent adjustment in a direction normal to the axis of the presser roll.

To this end, the guide roll is mounted upon a slide supported for movement upon a bracket 64 (Fig. 2) attached to the end plate 39 of the frame. This bracket is provided with a forwardly and downwardly inclined portion 66 the upper surface of which is grooved as shown at 68 (Fig. 4) to receive the slide 70 which has an enlarged forward end 72 grooved at 76 to receive a bar 74, at the bottom of which the roll 18 is journaled. The heightwise position of the bar is determined by a thumb screw 78 after which it is locked in position by a lock screw 86 passing through a slot in the bar and threaded in the enlarged end 72 of the slide. The slide itself is held in the groove 68 by overlapping strips 82 and carries upon its upper face a plate 83 which, as will be seen later, is used to join it to a treadle. The relation of this top plate 83 to the slide 74} may be varied by a thumb screw 84, after which the two may be locked together by screws 86.

In order to assist the operator in moving the shoe to present successive parts of its periphery to the operating tools, the guide and feed roll 18 is driven by means of a spiral gear at the lower end of a shaft 92 which is journaled at its upper portion in a lug 94 on the bracket 64 and at its lower portion in an enlargement 96 of the lower portion of the bracket. A guard cover 98 for the spiral gear 99 is mounted on this enlargement.

When the inside shank portion of the shoe is to be presented tothe various tools as in Fig. 10 it becomes desirable, in order to hold the work against the full width of the presser 16, to lessen the distance between the feed roll and the applying tool because of the various angular relationships pointed out above, and this is done at the will of the operator by moving the feed roll supporting slide 70 in its bracket 64 by means of a bell crank lever 100 which is pivoted on the side of the bracket on a shoulder screw 16 2. During this change in the position .of the feed roll, its driving connection will not be disturbed because its notched periphery, meshing with the spiral gear 90, will slide along the teeth thereof. The forward end of the bell crank has a forked end for engagement with another shoulder screw 104 which is threaded in a lateral extension 106 of the plate 83. This bell crank 100, movable by meansof a treadle rod 108, is limited in movement by upper and lower stop screws 110 and 112 threaded in a bracket 114 which is attached to the end plate 30 (Fig. 2).

Between the applying roll and the feed roll is the in- V denting tool or drag knife 20 having'a curved lower edge 116 (Fig. 5) and an inclined forward edge 117 to ride easily over straps or the like, dropping quickly as it leaves them. The knife is adjustably attached, by screws passing through slots, to a heater block 118 which contains an electric heating unit 120 supplied through the junction box 69 and this heater block is attached to the inturned upper end of a bent supporting arm 122 (Fig. 2). The arm 122 is pivotally mounted on a screw 124 threaded in a block of heat insulating material 126 which in turn is attached by screws to a lug 127 on the end plate 30. To hold the indenting tool against the shoe cover, the

arm 122 is urged clockwise by means of a spring 123, as viewed in Fig. 2, and its movement under the impulse of the spring is limited by a stop 130 adiustably held in a groove in a side face of the bracket 38 which supports the presser roll. It will be noted that this arrangement allows the tool 25 to yield in a direction which is at an acute angle to the axis of the presser roll and that this relationship between the tools provides an open space between said roll and said tool which permits the indenting tool to rest upon the cover within the margin of the bottom of the shoe.

The operator is assisted in smoothing the margin of the cover on the bottom of the shoe by the wiper wheel 24. This is an open, spoke-type construction offering as little interference as possible with the vision of the operator and it has a rim provided with an angularly positioned face 132 (Fig. 4) which is corrugated slightly to provide a limited amount of friction against the glossy, almost slippery, cover. The hub of the wheel 24 is mounted upon a stud 134- at the lower end of an arm 136 pivoted at its upper end and yieldably held down to press the wiper wheel against the work by a spring 133. The axis of this wheel is at an acute angle with the feather line of a shoe presented thereto.

For reasons similar to those pointed out above with respect to the feed roll 18, it is desirable to be able to adjust the relation of the wiper roll with respect to the other tools when treating the inner shank portion of the shoe. Accordingly, the arm 136 is pivotally attached by a pin 140 (Fig. 3) to the upper arm 142 of a bell crank pivoted upon a shaft 144 and having its other arm 1 2-6 extending to the rear for the attachment thereto of a treadle rod 148. The jack shaft 144 upon which the bell crank is pivoted is journaled in a bracket 150 (Fig. 4) attached to the end plate of the frame and in another bracket 152 forming an extension from the web 34 of the frame. A collar T54 attached to the shaft rests against the side face of the bracket 159 and holds the shaft against endwise movement.

Power delivered to the jack shaft 144, as later described, is conveyed to the wiper wheel 255 by means of a gear 156 mounted on the jaci: shaft 144 and meshing with a gear 153 turning on the pivot stud 1 2 h and thence by a series of gears 169, 162, 164 to a gear 166 formed integrally with the hub of the wiper wheel 24. The gear 169 is pivoted on a stud 165 which serves as a rest for the lower end of the spring 138. The upper end of this spring is coiled around a post 171' integral with the pivot stud 140 and has a bent upper end 172 for engagement in any one of a series of holes 174 in an arm 176.

or best results, the tension of the spring 138, by which the wiper wheel is held against the work, should be kept substantially constant during changes in the position of the wiper roll as the bell crank 142, 146 is turned with respect to the wiper carrying arm 136. Accordingly, the arm 176 carries a screw 178 the lower end of which rests on a cam plate 13% on the upper end of a block 182 which is attached to the bracket 15% supporting the bell crank 142, 146. The design of the cam plate 18% is such that the spring tension is constant in all positions of the bell crank. The arm 146 of the bell crank has an extension 134 carrying a limit screw 136 which rests against a face 188 of a lug forming part of the support 182 for the cam 180.

It will be noted from Figs 3 and 4 that the normal idle position of the wiper wheel and hence of the arm, when no work is being presented to the machine, is determined by the engagement of a projecting reduced end .7199 of the stud 134, which supports the wiper wheel, with a ledge 1&2 forming part of a bracket 194 attached to the side of the bracket 64. This bracket 194 (Fig. 1) is adjustable heightwise to determine the height of the ledge 192 and thus the idle height of the wiper wheel an When a piece of work is presented to the machine,

it lifts the wiper against the tension of the spring 138 as 5 the bottom of the shoe is brought into contact with the guide and feed roll 18.

The treadle rods 108 and 148 (Fig. 6) may, for simplicity, both be resiliently connected to a lever 196 pivoted at 198 to the under side of the base or the bench upon which it rests. The rod 148 may be extended by a rod 209 to a treadle 202 provided with a spring 204 normally holding the rods in elevated position. When the inner side of the shank portion of the shoe is reached, depression of the treadle 292 will be conveyed to the rods H33 and through the interposed springs 296.

Power is conveyed from a belt-driven pulley 219 to the operating tools of the machine, in a way shown in Figs. 1 and 4, and in the case of the feed-roll-drive shaft 92 this is done by means of a double gear 212 on a driven shaft 21 which meshes with a gear on a countershaft 216 joined to the feed-roll-drive shaft 92 by bevel gears 218. the case of the shaft which is connected to the wiper wheel 24, power is conveyed to the shaft 144 by means of bevel gears 219 and 221 which are joined by another bevel gear 225? at the top of a stud 222 which is carried by a lug 224 on the web 34 of the frame. The bevel gear 221 (Fig. 4) is made integral with a plate 226 forming half of a slip clutch 22$ held in driving contact by a spring 2353 abutting a collar 232 on the jack shaft 144.

The drive for the presser roll 16 is through another double gear 23 meshing with a gear which forms half of a slip clutch 236 on a conntershar't 238 which is journaled in the end plates 3% and 32 and which is connected to the shaft 36 of the presser roll by means of bevel gears 24%. A bushing 242 is provided in the end plate 30 to keep the heat of the units from being carried back from the shaft to the frame. Means for controlling the frictional contact of the two halves of the slip clutch 236 is provided in a thumb screw 244 threaded directlyon the end of the countershaft 238 and controlling the tension of a spring 246.

in the operation of the machine, assuming that a fitted cover C has been slipped over a lasted shoe S with the cone the last projecting through the opening 12 (Fi 7), the operator will manually gather the free margin of the cover over the bottom of the toe end of the shoe and present the side face thereof to the machine as previously described. The position of the shoe will be determined by the guide and feed roll 13 and as the cover is progressively applied, the shoe being moved forward by the operator with the help of the feed roll 18 and the driven presser roll l6, the waste marginal portion 22 will be progressively weakened by a crease or indentation formed by the heated drag knife 2% yieldably held against the cover by the spring 128. During this progressive action the plates 56 of the presser roll are yieldably supported by the interposed rubber ring 2-8, thereby to accommodate themselves to the particular contour of the shoe bein treated as the cover is applied progressively.

During this progressive action the wiper wheel is valuable in smoothing successive increments of the upstanding portion of the cover down upon the bottom of the shoe with a minimum number of folds as each portion of the cover approaches the feed roll 18. Any marked looseness of the cover on the side of the shoe will be drawn in but it is not intended nor desired to tension the side portions of the cover other than to position them against the side of the shoe. The angular relation of the wiper roll as viewed from above enables it to be positioned closer to the other operating tools and causes it to smooth down the margin with a minimum of folds or puckers.

At the completion of the operation around the periphcry of a shoe, the surplus marginal portion 22 of the cover may readily be torn away (Pig. 8) by the operator leaving the shoe such condition that its bottom is fully exposed for the subsequent bottoming operations while at the same time the upper of the shoe is fully protected by a plastic cover of thin, flexible sheet material which is firmly attached all around the periphery of the shoe drawing increments of the margin of the cover over the shoe bottom progressively around the shoe, and securing incrementsprogressively to the side of the shoe by applying heat and pressure to the cover above the feather line 7 of the shoe.

2. The method of protecting a lasted shoe upper which consists in placing a cover of sheet material over the upper, drawing increments of the margin of the cover over the bottom of the shoe progressively around the shoe, securing the cover progressively as each increment is drawn over the bottom, and substantially simuitaneously creasing the marginal portion of the cover so that the surplus material may be torn off to leave the bottom of the shoe free for subsequently operations.

a 3. The method of protecting a shoe upper which consists in placing a cover of sheet material over the upper of the shoe, progressively attaching said cover to the shoe around the periphery thereof with a margin of the cover overlapping the bottom of the shoe, and progressively weakening the overlapping portion of the cover so that the surplus material may readily be removed.

4. The method of protecting a shoe upper which consists in placing a cover of' sheet material over the upper of the shoe, progressively attaching said cover to the shoe around the periphery thereof with a margin of the cover overlapping the bottom of the shoe, and progressively weakening the overlapping portion of the cover along a path close to the feather line of the shoe.

5. The method of protecting a shoe upper which consists in placing a cover over the. upper and .drawing the margin of it against the shoe, securing the cover to the periphery of the shoe, weakening the marginal portion of the cover along a line adjacent thereto by creasing it, and repeating these steps around the shoe to form a continuous crease permitting the marginal. portion of the cover to be torn oif.

6. In a machine for applying a cover to a shoe with a margin of the cover overlapping the bottom surface thereof, a rotatably mounted heated presser member mounted for engagement of its periphery with a side of a shoe adjacent to the bottom, and a driven feed roll spaced from said presser member for engagement with the bottom of the shoe.

7. In a machine for applying a cover around a shoe with a margin of the cover projecting beyond the bottom surface of the shoe, a presser member mounted for engagement with a cover overlying the side of a shoe adjacent to the bottom thereof, a driven feed roll spaced from said presser member for engagement with the bottom of the shoe, and a tool adjacent to the presser member for weakening the cover close to the feather line so that the margin of the cover may be removed.

8. In a machine for applying a cover to a shoe with a margin of the cover overlapping the bottom surface thereof, a yielding, rotatable, driven presser member for engagement with the side of a shoe adjacent to the bottom face thereof to attach the cover, a driving connection therefor, a driven feed member for engagement with the bottom of the shoe Within its periphery, a driving connection therefor, and operator-controlled means connected to one of these members for adjusting its position with respect to the other shoe engaging member without disturbing its driving connection.

9. In a machine for applying a cover to a shoe with a margin of .the cover, overlapping the bottom surface thereof, a metal-faced, heated, resilient presser roll, said roll I having a resilient hub portion and a shiftable rim portion u resting against said hub portion, said roll engaging a cover at the bottom corner of a shoe to attach the cover around the periphery thereof, and a tool engaging the cover overlying the bottom surface of the shoe within the bottom periphery.

10. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a yielding presser roll rotatable about an axis inclined to the vertical and engaging the cover at the corner of the shoe to attach the cover around the periphery of the shoe, means for driving said roll, means operative independently of said roll engaging the bottom of the shoe within its periphery to aid the operator in determining the relation of the shoe to the presser roll, and a support for said bottom-engaging means movable in a path normal to the .t axis of the presser roll.

11. In a shoe cover applying machine, a presser roll engaging the cover at the corner of the shoe to attach the cover around the periphery of the shoe, means'for driving said roll, means engaging the bottom of the shoe within its periphery to aid the operator in determining the relation of the shoe to the presser roll, and a tool interposed between the presser roll and the shoe bottom engaging means for weakening the cover close to the feather line so that the marginal portion thereof can be removed.

12. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a yielding presser roll engaging the cover at the corner of the shoe to attach the cover around the periphery of the shoe, means for driving said roll, a slide supported for movement in a path inclined to the horizontal, a roll journaled on a horizontal axis in said slide engaging the bottom of the shoe to aid the operator in determining the relation of the shoe to the presser roll, and an operatorcontrolled means for shifting the position of said slide during the operation of the machine to control the heightwise and lateral relation between said rolls.

13. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a presser roll driven about an axis to engage the cover at the corner of the shoe thereby to attach the cover around the periphery of the shoe, and an indenting tool yieldable in a direction at an acute angle to said presser roll axis thereby providing an open space between said roll and said tool whereby the latter may rest upon the cover within the margin of the bottom of the shoe and near its point of attachment by the presser roll.

14. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, means, including a presser roll engaging the cover at the corner of the shoe, for heating and pressing said cover to attach the cover to the shoe around its periphery, and an indenting tool riding upon the cover near its point of attachment by the presser roll.

15. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a driven presser roll engaging the cover at the bottom corner of the shoe, an indenting tool resting upon the cover near its point of attachment by the presser roll, and shoe-bottom-engagin means limiting the movement of the shoe by the operator against the indenting tool.

16. In a machine for progressively applying a shoe cover of sheet material to the lower margin of the side of a shoe, a heated roll to stick the cover to the side of the shoe, and a yieldably mounted drag tool for indenting the cover margin which overlaps the bottom of the shoe.

17. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a driven rotary wiper the periphery of which engages the cover to draw it over the bottom of the shoe, and a heated presser for applying the cover to the lower margin of the side of the shoe.

is. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a driven wiper for smoothing the cover upon the bottom of the shoe, a presser for applying the cover to the lower margin of the side of the shoe, and a knife for indenting the cover adjacent to the portion which'is attached to the shoe by the presser member.

19. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a yieldable support, a driven wiper roll rotatable on said support traversing the margin of the bottom of the shoe to tighten the cover around the upper, a ledge on the machine, projecting means movable heightwise with said wiper roll and resting on said ledge to determine the idle height of the roll, and means for attaching the cover to the lower margin of the side of the shoe.

20. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a yieldable, driven wiper roll having a side face thereof positioned in a plane intersecting the side of the shoe, and a heated presser member for attaching the cover to the periphery of the shoe.

21. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a yieldable, driven wiper roll positioned crosswise of the side of the shoe, a presser member for attaching the cover to the periphery of the shoe, and a guide roll adjacent to the presser member and engaging the shoe bottom, said guide roll being driven to assist the operator in feeding the work.

22. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a yieldable, driven wiper roll movable across the bottom of the shoe at an acute angle to the side thereof, a presser member for attaching the cover to the periphery of the shoe, a guide roll adjacent to the presser member and engaging the shoe bottom, said guide roll being driven to assist the operator in feeding the Work, and an indenting tool engaging the cover between the guide roll and the attaching member.

23. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a rotary wiper roll having an axis disposed at an acute angle with the feather line of the shoe for engagement with the cover overlapped upon the bottom of a shoe and having a periphery movable across the bottom margin of the shoe to draw it smooth, a pivoted arm supporting said wiper roll, a spring engaging the arm to urge the wiper roll against the work, and a feed roll near the path of engagement of the wiper roll With the shoe bottom.

24. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a wiper roll for engagement with a cover overlapped upon the bottom of the shoe to draw it smooth, a pivoted arm supporting said wiper roll, a spring engaging the arm to urge the wiper roll against the work, and operator-controlled means for adjusting the position of the pivot for said roll-carryingarm during the progress of the Work through the machine.

25. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a Wiper roll for engagement with the cover overlapped upon the bottom of the shoe to draw it smooth, a pivoted arm supporting said Wiper roll, a spring engaging the arm to urge the wiper roll against the Work, operator-controlled means for ad justing the position of the pivot for said roll-carrying arm during the progress of the work through the machine, and means for maintaining the tension of said spring constant in spite of the adjustment of the pivot of the arm.

26. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a wiper roll for engagement with the overlapped margin of the cover, operator-controlled bell crank supported upon the machine, an arm pivoted upon one end of said bell cran'.. said wiper roll being journaled at the other end of the 5 arm, and a series of gears on said arm for driving said wiper roll in any position of the bell crank.

27. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a wiper roll for engagement with the overlapped margin of the cover, a cover-attaching member resting against the cover at the side of the shoe, operator-controlled means for shifting said arm to vary the point of engagement of the Wiper roll with the cover, a spring at the upper end of said arm for holding the Wiper roll against the cover, and a cam for holding constant the tension of said spring during ad ustment of the position of the arm.

28. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a device for attaching the cover to the periphery of the shoe, a yieldably supported wiper roll for smoothing the cover prior to its attachment to the shoe, a guide roll for engagement with the bottom of the shoe adjacent to the point of contact of the attaching means with the cover, and operator-controlled means for adjusting the positions of said wiper roll and said guide roll with respect to the attaching means as the point of operation approaches the shank portion of the shoe.

29. in a shoe-cover-applying machine, a Wiper for smoothing the cover around the upper of the shoe, a shoebottom-engaging roll, and a cover-attaching roll comprising a driven hub, a plurality of relatively shiftable annular members forming the periphery of the roll, and resilient means interposed between said annular members and said hub.

30. In a shoe-cover-applying machine, a wiper roll for smoothing the cover, and a Presser roll for sticking the cover to the shoe, said presser roll comprising a hub mounted upon a shaft inclined downwardly away from the work and having flanges at the ends of the hub, a resilient ring around the hub, shiftable annular members around said ring between said flanges, and means for heating said roll.

31. in a shoe-cover-applying machine, a wiper for smoothing the cover across the bottom of the shoe, and an attaching roll for sticking the cover to the shoe, said attaching roll comprising a hub on a driven shaft with end flanges adjacent to said hub, a rubber ring fitting said hub, and annular plates between said flanges one of which plates has its inner periphery resting on said hub while the others rest on said ring.

Reference tlited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,030,647 Covell June 25, 1912 1,030,751 Shattuck June 25, 1912 1,102,465 Ashton July 7, 1914 1,157,741 Wentworth Oct. 26, 1915 1,413,707 Cheney Apr. 25, 1922 1,439,794 Casgrain Dec. 26, 1922 2,029,533 Kinney Feb. 4, 1936 2,286,362 Hammann June 16, 1942 2,296.517 Green Sept. 22, 1942 

